Where The Light Gets In, Common and PLANT unite for new food festival

A five-day celebration of Northern food and drink culture will be held in Manchester over the second May Bank Holiday at Sadler’s Yard, NOMA (near Victoria Station).

‘A Good Feed’ will transform the area into a hub of collaborative independent food activity, focussed on ‘the rich culinary backgrounds and inspirations within our community’.

Some of the region’s best cooks have been invited to collaborate by producing one-off daily dishes over an open fire, whilst many fledgling food and drink producers with big ideas will be given an opportunity to use the space to test commercial waters.

A Good Feed will also be a source of education and business advice, addressing issues around food and drink in order to highlight Manchester’s potential as a place ripe with creativity, quality and industry.

As a way to break down barriers between public and producer, festival-goers can get involved in open workshops including cheese making, pickling, preserving and kebab building, while sampling an ever-changing spread of food options with a focus on humble ingredients and skill.

‘A Good Feed’ will kick off on Thursday 24th May with ‘A Good Seed symposium’

The entirely free event is the result of a collaboration between PLANT (a neighbourhood design studio based at NOMA), chef Samuel Buckley (and the team from Where The Light Gets In) and the man behind Indy Man Beer Con, Jonny Heyes, who also runs Common bar and Port Street Beer House.

But all the interactive foodie fun will carry a serious message. The idea behind the festival is to stimulate discussion on the food culture of the North, provoke thought and sow the seeds of change in order for people to start eating and drinking more responsibly.

Organisers want to show how the food and drink industry has an important place in society and can have a lasting impact on the shape of towns and cities and our communities. It also wants to highlight how hospitality can provide a meritocratic career path for young people, rather than being seen as a stopgap before getting ‘a proper job.’

‘A Good Feed’ will kick off on Thursday 24th May with ‘A Good Seed symposium’ – a series of talks curated by Stockport’s Where The Light Gets In. Speakers will address topics from farm to fork, tackling issues such as farming, foraging, sustainability and food waste. 

The intention of the symposium is to start conversations that could inspire plans to create a permanent Good Feed space to nurture interesting start-up food and drink businesses.